Link in Azeroth
by ShadowedLight
Summary: Link's search for his lost friend Navi takes him beyond Hyrule...and beyond the Dark Portal. A crossover between the Legend of Zelda and Warcraft III. This is a must read for all Zelda and Warcraft fans. SUPRISE INTERMISSION CHAPTER! R&R!
1. The Legend of Zelda

Author's Note:  
  
I am a great fan of both Zelda and Warcraft, and I was wondering one day how Link would have done during the Warcraft III era. Well, it turns out that I decided to explore that possibility with this crossover story. Just to explain things, this takes off from the future timeline, not from the timeline where Link got sent back by Zelda. That means this is adult Link we're dealing with here. Die hard OoT may ask why Navi is still missing in this timeline. Well, the obvious answer is that she's missing for the same reason she was missing in the other timeline. Anyway, read on, enjoy, and please review.  
  
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Link sat under a large tree, deep in thought. He didn't know what time it was due to the heavy rain falling onto the already dark forest, but he was tired so it couldn't be that early. The forest was so thick that he could hardly see past the line of trees. The underbrush was so dense in fact, that he had to leave his trusted horse, Epona, in Zelda's care.  
  
He was searching for Navi, his lost fairy friend. After Link defeated Gannon, Navi had apparently considered her task complete, and left. Link had been searching for her for a year now, and his quest had taken him far beyond the great woods. He was no longer in Hyrule, but in this unfriendly forest that he doubted Navi would ever enter.  
  
*Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing.* Link thought to himself.  
  
He wondered now how he would get back to Hyrule, for in this seemingly endless dark forest no familiar landmark could be found. As the rain began to cease, Link slowly rose to his feet. Drawing the Master Sword, he swiftly began to hack a way through the brush without any clear idea of where he was going.  
  
Link continued like this, his tunic becoming damp from the droplets of water falling from the infinite wet leaves around him. Then suddenly in ahead of him, he became aware of a strange light. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. No, it wasn't a hallucination, there was actually a blue glow shining through the trees. He swiftly quickened his pace and hacked away at the branches with a renewed vigor.  
  
Finally Link stepped out of think brush and gasped; in front of him stood a fairy fountain, a fairy fountain in the midst of this darkness. True, it was different from the large underground temples that he was used to, for this fountain was more like a small spring spouting bright blue water. But nonetheless, a few fairies rhythmically floated around the fountain. Link, with no small amount of disappointment, noted that none of the fairies was Navi. Nonetheless, Link was exhausted and approached the fountain in hopes of refreshment.  
  
As the fairies soothed his weariness, he caught some of them to put into bottles for later. Then suddenly he heard the familiar laughter of a Great Fairy. Link stepped back as the Great Fairy emerged from the fountain and smiled at Link.  
  
"Greetings, Hero of Time. I am the Great Fairy of dreams. You come here in search of your friend, correct?"  
  
Link nodded.  
  
"I'm afraid that you have traveled here in vain. But perhaps here you may learn where to find her."  
  
Link watched her carefully, inviting her to go on.  
  
"I have the power to let you focus your thoughts beyond time and space, in other words to let you dream reality. Your friends are never far from your thoughts. Come, stand before me."  
  
The Great Fairy smiled as Link walked closer to the fountain. Then she raised her hand to her lips and blew. Wispy spheres of light swirled around Link as he heard the Fairy's voice from far away.  
  
*May you dream of that which you seek.*  
  
***  
  
The skies are red in this world, the color of blood. The clouds above swirled as fire rained from the sky. Great creatures of fire and darkness the likes of which Link had never imagined even during his darkest journeys crashed to the ground as meteors, and arose from the craters as demons. The horrid creatures rampage a village, crushing and burning everything in their path.  
  
Then suddenly the image shifted, and in another place and another time he saw an army of what looked like Hylians with short, stubby ears charge toward an army of green-skinned creatures. The bright armor and swords of the Hylians reflect the bloody sunlight as the green-skins roar in unison, letting loose their great warcry.  
  
In yet another place, a peaceful, lush forest teeming with animals, a strange race with purple skin and hair proudly defend their sacred forests from what looks like a horrible, massive army of stalfos. The living skeletons need no weapons save numbers, and despite the valor of the defenders, overrun the forest, turning it into a dead wasteland.  
  
Now, at the foot of an enormous tree of incomprehensible size, an equally large demon, engorged upon the magic of the tree, seeks to claim all of its power for itself. But a purple-haired warrior, dressed in what looks like animal fur and feathers, raises a great horn and blows. Thousands of spheres of light, spirits of the forest, arise and surround the demon. The demon lets out a last roar of agony as it combusts.  
  
And now, in the frozen north, atop a throne of ice, sits a king wielding a sword with fell runes carved into it. His eyes seem to bore into Link's, and there is no humanity to be seen inside those cold, bright eyes. He lifts the sword and points it at Link, as if he could see him.  
  
Suddenly, beyond all the horror of the world, somewhere in a silent forest where no elf, human, orc, or undead treads, there exists a fountain. A few fairies lazily float in and around it, and among them is Navi.  
  
*Well? What do you think?*  
  
Link suddenly finds himself floating somewhere, within a strange matrix of sleepy green lines. In front of him is a woman, her eyes firmly closed as she floats along with him.  
  
*What do you think of our world? Not much perhaps? Despite what you saw, there is more to this world than war.*  
  
Link stared at this strange woman, not comprehending anything.  
  
*Where am I? Who are you?* He asked, though it was more of a thought than a spoken question.  
  
*I am Ysera the Dreamer. I am leader of the green dragonflight. You are in the green dream right now. This is a place far beyond the reaches of any without my blessing. You have come at a perilous time, stranger. Yet I feel that you're timing could not have been better. Perhaps it's fate. This world is now in great peril, and there is much you could do to remedy that.*  
  
*How can I reach my friend?*  
  
*You always think of your friends. That is good, but you should also think of those whom you do not know. As for where she is, there are many fountains scattered throughout Azeroth, and dreams are often vague about what they show us.*  
  
*I have to try at least.*  
  
*Your resolve is impressive, as is your courage. I can bring you out of your slumber so that you find yourself in our world. To bring you back however, is beyond me. You still do not shrink from your task?*  
  
*No.*  
  
*Well then, let us make a deal. I will bring you to this world, and give you the power to speak its languages if you promise to do your best to help it, as well as search for your friend.*  
  
Link pondered this for a moment, recalling the massive battles and horrible creatures he had seen. But then he remembered Navi and Zelda, and quickly made his decision.  
  
*Deal.*  
  
Ysera smiled faintly. *Very well stranger. May fortune travel with you, wherever your quest shall take you.*  
  
Link woke suddenly, and looked around. He was no longer in the dark forest, nor was he in the green dream. He seemed to be in a harsh, rugged land. The skies were red, as was the stone. He got up, and hearing something behind him suddenly spun around. There, contemplating him maliciously was what looked like a Stalchild, a skeleton. Hearing the rustling of bones to either side, Link realized that he was surrounded by them. Slowly drawing his sword, Link carefully waited for the undead to make their move. He did not have to wait long.  
  
Letting out a hair-raising cry, the mindless ghouls rushed towards Link, their great claws outstretched and their rotting jaws hanging open. Link steps forward and used the ghoul's own momentum against it as he plunged the master sword into the undead flesh. Quickly withdrawing his sword he blocked the claw of the ghoul on his right with his shield as he kicked the one on his left as it tried to slash him. Then swinging his sword swiftly, he quickly beheaded the ghoul whose attack he blocked. He spun around to see the last ghoul already lunging towards him. Holding up his shield, Link braced himself for the impact. The untiring undead crashed into Link, and even with his shield softening the impact, Link was flung several feet onto his back. He quickly got up again, and as the ghoul bounded towards him for another attack, he took out his boomerang and threw it at the undead with careful aim. The boomerang looped towards the ghoul, and sliced its head right off its rotting body.  
  
Link caught the boomerang as it returned, and let out a sigh of relief. Then suddenly, from a ridge above, came more undead shrieks. Link looked up to see more ghouls, maybe two dozen of them, crawling spider-like down the seemly sheer rock cliff. And then, in the air, two fearsome winged creatures, gargoyles, began to circle around Link, glaring at him with soulless eyes. A drop of sweat trickled down Link's forehead as he prepared himself for this new onslaught, when suddenly from behind him he heard a different war cry.  
  
"Lok-tar ogar! Purge the scourge from these shores!"  
  
Link turned around, and to his surprise saw not only a party of five green- skins wielding great battle-axes, but two grey-skinned folk with red hair and extremely long spears. They fell upon the undead with a vengeance, and Link quickly joined them. Lunging towards a cluster of ghouls that were harassing a green-skin, Link channeled magic through his blade until it was swathed in flame, then spun 360 degrees, severing four undead heads with one blow. Hearing a ghoul sneaking up on him, he kicked backwards, sending the undead flying. A swift ax-blow from one of the green-skins was enough to dispatch it. Meanwhile, the grey-skins were busy sniping the ghouls from afar. One of the undead was unwise enough to approach one of the warriors. The grey-skin stabbed the ghoul through the head with his spear, then hurled it at one of the gargoyles who had flown too low. Finally the undead seemed to realize the losses they had taken, and began to flee back up the rock face. The grey-skins nailed a few as they retreated, but some still got away. Seeing the last gargoyle make a run for it, Link took out his bow and arrow, and with incredible precision shot an arrow right through the gargoyle's head. It plummeted to the earth as the green-skins let out a roar of victory.  
  
After the green-skins had finished cheering, some began to tend to their wounded as others turned to study Link carefully. His attire was unlike anything they had ever seen before, as were his fighting skills.  
  
"That was a mighty shot from fifty yards stranger." One of them commented.  
  
"And mighty swordplay as well." Added another.  
  
"Wha j'ou be acommin frum mon?" One of the grey-skins asked.  
  
"Yes, we have not seen your kind before."  
  
"I am a traveler from afar, seeking a lost friend." Link answered, surprised to hear the strange language come easily to him.  
  
The green-skins seemed to be startled to hear their own language spoken by a stranger, and quickly whispered to each other. They then turned back to Link who had been watching them apprehensively.  
  
"Wherever you come from, if you are enemies of the scourge and are not enemies of the horde, you are welcome to stay in Durotar."  
  
"Where is Durotar?" Link asked, upon which the strange party laughed.  
  
"Durotar is the new home of the horde! It is the ground on which you stand and the landscape as far as your eyes can see. If you will join us, we invite you to come to Ogrimmar, our capital. I have a feeling the warchief Thrall will want to see you."  
  
Link graciously accepted the orc's offer, and soon joined them around a bonfire as it got dark. Two orcs had been wounded, and were now being tended to by one of the trolls, as Link had discovered they were called. The others had spitted an entire pig on the fire, and were hungrily watching it roast. As they waited, the orcs discussed the attack.  
  
"That's the third bunch of those festering wretches we've come upon on our patrol."  
  
"Aye. Boot et wus da beegest one o dem all." One of the trolls put in.  
  
"Yes. I wonder where all these undead are coming from?"  
  
"Who knows? But in any case, the warchief must be informed immediately."  
  
"There must have been at least thirty of them this time." One of the orcs said, changing the subject.  
  
"Yes, and if it hadn't been for our guest here, it might've been worse than what it was."  
  
"By the way, I never got to thank you stranger." The orc whom Link had saved from the ghouls said.  
  
"You're welcome." Was all Link could think of to say.  
  
"You slew nearly a dozen of them, as I counted it. And you got that Gargoyle that was trying to flee. Where did you learn to fight like that stranger?"  
  
"In my homeland." Link answered.  
  
"Your homeland must be a proud place indeed, and its warriors highly honored."  
  
"It's a peaceful place, but not without its perils." Link replied carefully.  
  
"Ah, just like any good homeland."  
  
Just then the troll who was healing the wounded orcs came back to the campfire looking grave.  
  
"Zrak'Tol izza doin fine mon, but its not looking gud for Naros."  
  
"Can nothing save him?" Asked one of the orcs.  
  
"Mebbe a shadow hunta or weetch ductor, bot Ogrimmar ees too far to carry em. He woont make et."  
  
The orcs got up and gathered around their fallen comrade, who was unconscious and breathing raggedly. Link looked at the dying orc, then remembering the fairies he'd bottled, took one out and knelt by the orc.  
  
"What are you doing?" Asked one of the orcs.  
  
Link didn't answer, but opened the cork of the bottle. The fairy flew out of the bottle, and casting its cheerful glow over the orc, swirled around his body healing the wounds and reinvigorating the orc wherever it crossed. Soon the orc's breathing returned to normal, and he opened his eyes.  
  
"What's for dinner?"  
  
The orcs and trolls merely stared at Link in shock, their mouths hanging open. The finally one of them found their voice.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"That was a little friend I brought with me from my homeland." Link answered.  
  
The orcs were silent for a while, and just stared at Link reverently. Then one of them spoke up again.  
  
"There is much about you that is mysterious stranger, and I have a feeling that we can learn much from each other."  
  
Link nodded, then returned to the fire and lay down upon the straw mat that the orcs had provided. Soon he was asleep, and he dreamt he was back in Hyrule with Navi and Zelda. 


	2. The Lich King

Author's Note:  
  
There were a few problems with chapter 1. Just so you know, the part where Link and Ysera are talking to each other should have had all the dialogue italicized. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to work on fanfiction.net. I've since updated the dialogue to have * instead of " to distinguish thoughts from speech. Anyway, here's chapter 2. Please review each time a new chapter comes up; the more reviews I get, the more updates I put up.  
  
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Link awoke with the bright Kalimdor sun in his eyes. Its rays painted a deep red hue on the already tinted rock of the barrens. Link yawned, and looked around to see the orcs already packing up for their return to Ogrimmar. Some of them occasionally looked up from their work to cast awed glances at him once in a while, for Naros, the orc he had saved, was a bit weary, but otherwise perfectly healthy. Apparently the people of this world didn't take much advantage of the fairies.  
  
Breakfast was leftover spitted pig, and as soon as everyone was finished, the orcs set off at a steady, impressive pace. The orcs had strength and endurance unmatched by anything of that world except tauren and undead, but Link was not of their world. He was used to similar long treks across Hyrule field, though he admitted to himself that he missed Epona at times like that.  
  
Occasionally as they ran, they noticed several fearsome creatures eyeing them. There were pig-like people that the orcs identified as razormanes, strange bestial creatures naturally hunched over that Link discovered were called gnolls, as well as some malicious-looking bird women called harpies. Still, these creatures all kept a respectful distance, as if they were experienced with orcs and did not enjoy their company. By now the sun had risen to its peak, drying out the already parched earth. The orcs' heavy footsteps raised a dust cloud visible from miles around.  
  
Finally they came to an enormous watch tower. It was maybe fifty feet tall, with large spikes protruding from its base. Underneath its structure, huge barrels whose purpose Link could not guess at were strapped together by rope. The design of the tower itself seemed crudely practical, and on top of it Link saw several grey-skins armed with formidable spears, as well as a curious-looking creature he was not familiar with. This small, hysterical character was busy jumping around, manning several curious devices that looked somewhat like telescopes.  
  
"Hehehehe! I saw you coming a while ago, I did. Yes yes, the patrol and-" here the creature stared at Link and muttered "and the strange one, yes. What are you doing here stranger?"  
  
"Pay no attention to him. He's a goblin; they're good at making things, blowing things up, and not much else."  
  
"Eh? What's this I hear? Slander! Slander slander slander! Talking bad about me, eh orc? It's boring up here, so dreadfully boring! You should see what it is, to be bored!"  
  
The orc cast a sympathetic glance at the two headhunters who, while struggling to remain impassive, were obviously strained by the company of their eccentric friend. After they had given the password "Grom Hellscream" they were allowed passage through to Ogrimmar territory. As they set off at a run again Link noticed that there was a weird contraption sitting on the ground next to the tower, covered by a large burlap sheet. Link asked Naros about it, and received this answer;  
  
"That is a zeppelin my friend. It's a flying machine designed by the goblins. We have to produce them in great numbers these days, to patrol for undead or carry news of their movements. Fortunately we no longer have to purchase them from the goblins themselves; they always charge three times what its worth."  
  
"And what is the purpose of that tower?"  
  
"To keep a watch out for the undead. The moment that the tower's sentries spot an undead army approaching, they will hold it off for as long as they can, then they will flee in the zeppelin and light the fuse."  
  
"Light the fuse?"  
  
"You saw those barrels underneath the tower? Those are explosives. There'll be nothing for the undead to salvage, and the blast will be powerful enough to take out a fair few of them."  
  
Link was left to silently brood on this concept, and hardly noticed it when they came into more crowded parts of the territory. By the time he looked up again, they were running down a well-traveled path with merchants hauling their wares on the backs of some lizard-like beasts. Peons dashed on the path going both ways, hauling building materials and tools. Link uncomfortably noted that most of these people, while each busy in their own way, always found time to stare at him.  
  
Finally, as even Link began to tire from the long trek, they came up over a ridge and the sight took Link's breath away. A huge, sprawling city lay before him, nearly every bit of it designed the same way that the tower had looked; rugged, practical, and powerful. It seemed somewhat overcrowded, but that wasn't to diminish its glory. Vast city walls protected the orcish capital, and Link could see many creatures manning towers similar to the one he had seen earlier built into these walls. Within the city, smoke rose from several large, industrious buildings; weapons, armor, and machines of war were being forged. For all its wonders, there was no city like this in Hyrule.  
  
The orcs laughed, seeing the expression on Link's face.  
  
"Yes stranger, your reaction is the same as anyone seeing Ogrimmar for the first time. Come, the warchief awaits."  
  
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He sat atop the Frozen Throne. In body, but not in mind. He was neither Ner'zhul the warlock nor Arthas the death knight. He was greater than both. He was now just the Lich King, in every sense of the title. His psychic powers had been restored since the battle of Icecrown, and he was now more powerful than ever. But still, he was disturbed. He had felt the power arrive, a power that shook his confidence and posed a threat to everything he had worked towards. He pondered the problem; the threat was clearly from another world, and had not felt like anything he had sensed ever before. In a panic, he had sent the sheer force of his mind reverberating throughout the world, and he felt the rift in the Kalimdor barrens. He had sent the largest scouting force that could be mustered on such short notice scouring the barrens, but no news had arrived yet. He growled in frustration; a few more prisoners were going to be tortured if his mood didn't improve.  
  
Just then he became aware of one of his servants entering the throne room. He waited in anticipation as the necromancer climbed the spiraling path of ice up to him. The twisted human stood before him, waiting for permission to speak, which the Lich King was both pleased and displeased with, for the obvious reasons.  
  
"Speak."  
  
"My king, we have received word from our base in Kalimdor. They sent twenty- nine ghouls and two gargoyles to seek the source of this disturbance you spoke of. Only four ghouls returned."  
  
At this the Lich King shivered inwardly, careful not to let his fear show. Instead, he impassively waved his hand, gesturing for the necromancer to continue.  
  
"The ghouls reported encountering a mysterious warrior clothed in green. His fighting skills are bizarre and varied, yet more effective than anything we've encountered before. He effortlessly took down three ghouls, but the new mind-binding magic informed the others in the search party of what was going on. Twenty-six ghouls and two gargoyles should have been enough to take the warrior down, however."  
  
At this the necromancer paused, then seeing the impatient look upon the Lich King's face, quickly resumed his story.  
  
"Another orc patrol came upon the scene. Five grunts, three headhunters, and this abnormality were enough to kill both gargoyles, twenty-two ghouls, and send the rest of our forces fleeing."  
  
The Lich King was silent for a while. Indeed he knew little of the threat when he first sensed it, other than it was a great power and that it was not of this world. The description of this seemingly unstoppable warrior was good, as it informed him of the nature of his new adversary, though it explained none of the questions that burned the Lich King the most. Pondering this new turn of events, he realized that it would be disastrous if the warrior joined the Horde. Perhaps it was time to initiate the plan he had been so carefully timing.  
  
"Your orders my king?"  
  
"How goes the resurrection project?"  
  
"The subject has completed his phase of rebirth, master."  
  
"Is he ready to awaken?"  
  
"He awaits only your command master."  
  
"Good. It is time for us to take Kalimdor. Awaken my new champion, and put him in charge of our forces in Kalimdor. Tell the fleet to unload their troops under his command. The orcs will never know what hit them."  
  
The necromancer bowed low, then exited the throne room hastily. The Lich King considered his new champion. If there was any foul servant of his who could defeat the green warrior, it would be him. The Lich King slowly rose from the throne; part of him was still unused to moving, but the other part of him was eager to move. In any case, both parts of him were fascinated by his new champion.  
  
The Lich King exited the throne room and gazed upon his Icecrown Stronghold. The frozen earth was completely scarred by the blight of the undead buildings. There were countless buildings devoted to the foul industry of undeath; morgues where bodies were sorted according to size and race, graveyards were bodies were preserved for later usage, slaughterhouses where body parts were assembled, ritual altars were the dead bodies were made to serve the Lich King, and black citadels to oversee the entire gristly process. Ghouls ran here and there, devouring and carrying corpses, of which there was a surplus after the battle for the Frozen Throne. He smiled coldly at the brilliance of his empire, then strode towards one of the larger Black Citadels that housed all of his most terrible experiments.  
  
He passed through the dark corridors, paying no heed to the screams of both the dead and the living that came from each chamber, though he did pause to observe a hideous specimen inside a cage; it was an extremely large two- headed abomination. The Lich King had named his pet Scourge after his magnificent army, though he had soon found that with two heads Scourge had become twice as dumb as a normal abomination. Laughing at the laws of undeath, the Lich King finally reached the inner sanctum of the citadel, and stared at his champion, sealed within an ice prison in all his terrible glory.  
  
"You've outdone yourselves, my servants."  
  
The necromancers bowed to their King. "We are pleased that you are pleased master."  
  
"Awaken him."  
  
"As you wish."  
  
One of the necromancers walked in front of the crystal prison and chanted a few fell words. At his command, the ice began to crack, deep fissures in it's unmarred surface appearing and spreading throughout the prison. The Lich King could feel the mind inside it becoming aware, and was quick to exert his psychic influence over it. Then, as the champion stirred, the ice shattered and huge shards of it flew everywhere. The necromancers dived for cover, but the Lich King merely laughed in glee as his champion stepped forward.  
  
"My champion. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Well, I never thought that undeath would feel so good, that's for certain."  
  
"And who is your master?"  
  
"You are. Being dead implies serving you, dose it not?"  
  
"There are some fools who disagree with your wisdom my champion. Do you know what is expected of you?"  
  
"Heh. Of course."  
  
"Excellent my champion. Now, what is your name?"  
  
"I am Lord Illidan Stormrage, champion of the scourge!"  
  
Illidan stepped forward. Undeath had changed him almost as significantly as becoming a demon had. His horned night elf face was now pale and haggard, and two holes had been cut into his blindfold. Bright, malicious eyes shone through them, and the former demon hunter could now see and sense equally well. His formerly frail wings were now long and silky, almost like a cape. His skin was now pale, and his flesh was hardened by rigor mortis. The gash across his chest from the blow that Arthas had dealt him was still visible, though no blood, neither night elf nor demon, flowed through his veins. Each step he took still burned with demonic hellfire, though there was now a cold aura that surrounded him.  
  
"My champion, you are part night elf, part demon, and part undead. You possess the powers of all three, and before your might all my enemies shall fall."  
  
"You certainly haven't lost Arthas' arrogance, that's for sure."  
  
"You have spirit. That is good, I am tired after dealing with soulless slaves. Are you ready for a test of your strength champion?"  
  
"I seem to have plenty of time on my hands, so why not?"  
  
The Lich King smiled, then walked over to a purple crystal and grasped it hard. The part of the floor on which Illidan stood began to sink into the ground. It sank twenty feet before stopping, and a barred gate was now revealed. Immediately Illidan understood; this was an arena. The Lich King called out from above.  
  
"Go now my champion. Prove your worth."  
  
The gate slid open, and from it burst hundreds of carrion beetles, skittering over the walls and floor, making eerie squeaking noises as they moved in search of flesh. Illidan did not waste a second, and began by channeling demonic energy around him. Soon he was engulfed in flames, and lunged at the mass of beetles, burning those that approached him and slicing the ones further away with ease. In a matter of minutes, the only beetles in the pit were scorched or severed.  
  
"Come now, that was pathetic!" Illidan called.  
  
The Lich King grinned. He waved his hand again and the gate swung open again. This time something more formidable approached; a certain two-headed abomination named Scourge. Both heads glared at Illidan and approached him menacingly. Illidan grinned; this was going to be fun. 


	3. The Warchief

Author's Note:  
  
Thank you for your reviews! It's always encouraging to see that people are reading your work. Queen of Harpies, thank you for your multiple reviews and I assure you that the Lich King's fear will be explained in time. Ghoul King, I am fully aware that Ysera is a dragon. However when in the Emerald Dream, she appears as a human with her eyes closed (as explained in The Day of the Dragon novel) ;). To all the reviewers on the Zelda page, thank you for your encouragement! I hope you'll all be patient with me if I write a crappy chapter or two. I'm usually really pressed for time when I write .  
  
As always, the more reviews the more updates. Please feel free to suggest themes. Who knows? I just might use them.  
  
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Link followed the orc patrol through the crowded streets of Ogrimmar. Vendors and shops crowded both sides of the narrow lane they were walking down, their owners, orcs, tauren, trolls, goblins, and even some humans, sold everything from double-headed axes to invulnerability potions. Link, used to the simple Hyrulian selection of blue, red, or green potion was shocked by the variety of goods. The noise was loud but not quite deafening, as the haggling customers and salesmen never seemed to raise their voice so high as to cause any great disturbance. This also ran contrary to his experience in the market at Hyrule castle; as disorderly, chaotic a place as any he knew. There was also something else different here. Underneath the simple appearance of the market, Link felt a strong emotion, common to all the peoples in the market, was at work.  
  
*It's pride.* He thought.  
  
He was right. From the mysterious tattooed trolls who meditated on mats with weird masks and dolls, to the haughty and eccentric goblin merchants, the people here all had their own sense of racial and personal pride. After they had progressed a little further, Link forgot all about the vendors and concentrated on covering his mouth with the cloth of his tunic; a gigantic specimen of the same type that he had seen hauling goods to Ogrimmar was marching right in front of them, raising a thick dust cloud that stung Link's eyes.  
  
"The Kodos these days are almost more trouble than they're worth." An orc Link identified as Zrak'Tol growled. Zrak'Tol was the other orc who had been injured in the battle the day before, but orcs are a hardy race and he was back on his feet again, more or less as good as new.  
  
"We're almost there." The ranking orc, Kraz'gol called. He was walking ahead of them, and his eyes were relatively clear.  
  
The Kodo walked off down a different alley, leaving Link and the orcs to continue down the main street. As the dust cleared, Link spotted what could only have been the quarters of the orc warchief. But it conveyed a sense of power in architecture that Link was not familiar with; it was neither large nor lavishly decorated like Hyrule Castle, nor was it horrible and impressive like Ganon's Castle. True, it was larger than most of the other homes in Ogrimmar, but it was the distance from the other abodes that gave it its quiet majesty. In a city as crowded as Ogrimmar, the greatest luxury was not gold, admantium, fine foods or wine. It was space. The narrow area around the warchief's home was worth more empty than had it been filled with silver, and it showed more respect than the two heavily armored orc sentries at the entrance ever could.  
  
"You have business with the warchief?" One of the sentries demanded.  
  
"We are the fifth shift of the southern patrol; the warchief has ordered that all news of the undead were to be brought to him directly." Kraz'gol answered.  
  
"Yes, there have been many like you coming in these days. It can foretell nothing good I fear. But who is this you bring with you? Is he to see the warchief as well?" The sentry growled, looking Link up and down, suspicion clear in his eyes.  
  
"Yes. He saved my life, and I vouch for him with my honor!" Naros now pushed his way to the front and stared at the sentry with fire in his eyes. Link was surprised; Naros had never shown such devotion to Link, nor had Link ever expected it for a simple fairy. After all, Link recalled a time when he was going through two or three fairies a week.  
  
"It is true. This stranger fought with us bravely and with honor in the barrens. If it weren't for him, some of us would have most certainly been slain." Kraz'gol said quietly.  
  
Still the sentry stared back at Naros, as if sure that Link was an assassin sent to gain the trust of the patrol, and then kill the warchief. But seeing the determination and sincerity in Naros' eyes grudgingly nodded his head.  
  
"Very well then. But keep your eyes on him."  
  
As if still unsatisfied, Naros continued to glare at the sentry as they proceeded into the warchief's den. Inside, Link looked around with interest. The den had only a single circular, but luxuriously large room. Its wooden walls were polished so that they richly reflected the bright light of the fire built in the middle of the den, and the only adornments that Link could see were a blood-red orcish banner, a large white wolf hide, a strange totem resembling those carried by the bull people, the tauren, as well as a weird, beaded net that looked to be of troll design. There was a single, humble cot in the back of the room, as well as a table set in front of the fire. A particularly impressive set of orcish armor was set against the wall, and a great warhammer was resting on the table.  
  
But more interesting and far more impressive than any of these ornaments was the warchief himself. He stood in front of the fire, staring into it, silhouetted by its light. Even unable to see him clearly, Link knew felt this individual had a sense of majesty and power that most people lacked. Slowly the warchief turned around and looked the party over. To Link's surprise, the warchief did not seemed surprised to see him, who was so out of place here, as he was constantly reminded. Instead the warchief turned to the leader of the patrol.  
  
"Kraz'gol my friend. What news do you bear?" He asked in a soft, yet firm, deep tone. Even when speaking softly, his voice seemed to reverberate through Link's mind. On the battlefield, it was clear that his presence alone would hearten his followers and dismay his enemies.  
  
Quickly Kraz'gol told him of the patrol's multiple encounters with the undead. He explained unfalteringly everything that the patrol had seen until he came to the part where the patrol met Link. Kraz'gol told him that they saw from a distance the warrior in green slay three of the undead, only to see many more undead, by far the largest group they had encountered yet, attack. Kraz'gol told the warchief of how they came to the warrior's aid, and how valiantly he had fought. He then explained how Naros was wounded, to the death they believed, but how the stranger had used strange magic to heal him when none of them though it was possible. He finished by describing their uneventful return trip.  
  
While Kraz'gol spoke, the warchief bent his head down, deep in thought. Occasionally he glanced up at Link with searching eyes, something that made Link feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if he were being physically probed. When Kraz'gol completed his report, the warchief stayed in his pensive state. Then he shook himself and looked up to stare at Link.  
  
"Welcome to Durotar warrior! We are always welcome to receive your kind these days, regardless of your race. I am known here as Thrall. I don't believe you've told me or Kraz'gol here your name?"  
  
"I go by the name of Link."  
  
"Well then Link, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. There are guest houses not far from here, and you may rest there for a while. Feel free to wander the city at will, and I hope you'll aid us in battle when war comes."  
  
The orc patrol stirred uncomfortably. None of them needed to mention that the warchief had made war a question of when rather than if. Link, who had only heard of full scale wars from the Deku Tree tried hard to imagine what it would be like, but in that he failed.  
  
"Yes my friends. War is coming. The appearance of the scourge in such numbers on these shores is deeply distressing, and the small groups of ghouls you encountered could only be scouts for the main army. The Lich King is preparing for war, and we can only guess at when he will strike."  
  
"What should we do warchief?"  
  
"It has obviously become too dangerous to send out small patrols. We must withdraw behind the border and prepare for the worst. Hopefully the Lich King hasn't paid too close attention to our activities, and will be unaware of our new advantages. You and your troops are dismissed Kraz'gol."  
  
Kraz'gol bowed and walked out the door. The other orcs followed suit, and Link was about to leave as well when Thrall spoke to him.  
  
"Link, stay behind for a moment. I would like to talk to you."  
  
Link paused, then turned to face the orcish warchief again.  
  
"There are many things about you that puzzle me Link. You are clearly of elven descent, yet your eyes, face, and clothing argue against your being high or night elven. Your skills in battle are undeniable, and from what Kraz'gol tells me, they should be legendary. Yet I've never heard of you. Your gear, from your sword to your belt are foreign to anything I've encountered before, and most puzzling of all is that in spite of all this, you speak orcish perfectly. I judge your intentions to be true and honest, so I will not demand answers to these questions yet. I merely ask you to think on them."  
  
Link nodded slowly and turned to leave. As he slipped through the doorway, Thrall gave him one last piece of advice.  
  
"There is something you should know for your own safety Link. All the search parties that the patrols encountered never consisted of more than five ghouls. That a group many times larger should come upon you by chance is impossible to believe. The Lich King has taken interest in you Link, and that can mean nothing good."  
  
Link did not stop but kept on walking, left to brood on this. The Lich King was obviously someone of great power who commanded the undead he had encountered in the barrens, that much he could decipher. He had much to learn of this world; he would have to ask someone about the Lich King later. Still not quite comprehending his danger, he strode through the crowded streets as the sun began to set.  
  
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Scourge eyed his prey calculatingly with four eyes. When his two heads got bored with nothing to fight, they usually fought each other. They never fought physically of course, they were smarter than that. But the heads constantly struggled against each other's minds. This had given Scourge's master the impression that he was stupid, an impression far from the truth. But Scourge really didn't care; the only thing he really cared for was carnage. In battle, Scourge's heads forgot their enmity and worked together flawlessly to tear their foe into pieces, altogether with an astounding amount of intelligence for an abomination.  
  
It had been a long time since he had fought something; after his master had gotten bored testing his abilities he was only thrown a live prisoner once in a while. He did enjoy the sound of their screams, but even those got boring after a while. This time though, the prey was new. It was curious looking to be sure, with its purple skin, wings, and horns that seemed almost comical to the abomination. Yet Scourge knew that this was no mere plaything; this was a dangerous enemy indeed. Scourge's right head noted that this time there was more room to fight, as they were inside a roomy pit instead of a cramped cage. His left head registered that his foe was engulfed in flames and wielded two blades; nothing that worried it in particular. Scourge immediately decided to try an overt approach, dashing at the prey, swinging the bladed hooks attached to his body with chains while raising his gigantic butcher's knives that he clutched in his three hands.  
  
As soon as the festering menace charged towards him, Illidan reacted swiftly. He had felt the powers of the Lich King throbbing in his dry veins, and had ached to find an outlet for them. Now he had. Illidan focused the frozen energy directly at Scourge, and all at once the two- headed abomination was encased in an icy prison not unlike the one that had kept him prisoner during his transformation. Illidan did not grin however, he knew that the creature would not be so easily defeated.  
  
He was right. The ice quivered for a second, then shattered into a thousand pieces as Scourge roared, flailing his hooks towards Illidan. Illidan blocked the blow from a hook that managed to reach him, but recoiled from the heavy impact. Scourge took advantage of his distraction by swinging one of his knives at him. Illidan's quick reflexes that resulted from a lifetime of training as a demon hunter allowed him to barely dodge the blow, but even so he realized that he would have to finish the abomination quickly. Calling upon his demonic powers, he fired a bolt of energy at Scourge. The bolt struck not at Scourge's mass of flesh, but his mind. For a moment, Scourge roared in rage as his two heads doubled his confusion. It was a split second, but it was all Illidan needed. Lunging at the abomination, Illidan twirled his blades in a dance of death very familiar to him. Scourge screeched as his three arms were severed, and Illidan then shot a cone of the Lich King's power at him. The energy quickly solidified into a spear of ice, and Scourge was thrust back to the wall with it protruding from his massive belly. Illidan calmly walked over to the confused and mutilated abomination, and raised his blade for the kill.  
  
"Enough." The Lich King called to his champion from above.  
  
Illidan paused, then lowered his blade to look up at his master. "What?"  
  
"You've seen for yourself how powerful Scourge is in battle. He may still be useful. My forces are awaiting you in Kalimdor. I want you to command them."  
  
"To what purpose?"  
  
"To purge the orcs from this world once and for all. Organize my forces to exterminate them; I want not a single one left alive. And while you are at it, there is an enemy of mine; a warrior clothed in green who has taken refuge among the orcs. If you see him, kill him. And bring Scourge along with you; some of my necromancers will undoubtedly be able to restore him with ease."  
  
Illidan smirked. "A rather simple task, don't you think. It will be as you command."  
  
The Lich King's eyes flared with cold glee. "It had better."  
  
Without further conversation, Illidan called upon powers that he had mastered in life, opening a dimensional gateway. The Lich King laughed with pleasure as Illidan grabbed the monstrous Scourge with one hand and hurled him into the gateway. Illidan himself followed through leisurely, as if taking a quiet stroll through the woods of Ashenvale. 


	4. The Spies

Author's Note:  
  
Today is a sad day. According to the exceedingly well informed Ghoul King, I am not allowed to maintain this story on both the Zelda and Warcraft pages. I am very sorry to inform those who follow this story on the Zelda page that I will have to close it down in the very near future. However, do not despair; you can still read this story on the Warcraft page, where it will continue to be updated regularly.  
  
To finish my business with Ghoul King, the only Warcraft CD in my family was recently taken off to college with my dear brother. I was left with the crappy demo. In the demo, the colors are all messed up, and so the trolls appear to be gray. That's where that discrepancy comes from. As for Ghouls not resembling Stalchildren, I think that it is a matter of opinion. I stand by my belief that Stalchildren are the closest Zelda enemy to Ghouls. As for the green dream/Emerald Dream business, I have not studied Warcraft so thoroughly that I can remember the capitalization and difference between green and Emerald. I also wrote that at 11:00pm, and was incredibly tired, so cut me some slack. As I have said, I am always pressed for time and I do not intend to bother fixing that minor spelling mistake or the gray/blue issue. I firmly believe that these minor inaccuracies do not take away from my work as a whole, and if anyone besides Ghoul King disagrees with me please post a review about it.  
  
To the rest of you, I apologize for taking up your time. Without further ado, here is chapter 4. Oh, and please review some more! I just love reviews.  
  
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Illidan stepped out onto the hard, rough coast of Kalimdor. Surveying his surroundings, Illidan smirked as he noticed that the raw, natural landscape had become twisted and foul, as did every landscape caressed by the scourge. All along the shore were the horrifying undead ships, laden with fresh troops and acolytes. Already these foul passengers were disembarking by the hundreds, bolstering the existing undead base. Overhead, a number of frost wyrms were circling around. These massive undead dragons were visible only as shadows darker than the night sky.  
  
Further inland, Illidan could see what could only be a Necropolis towering over the rest of the other undead buildings, whose shapes were too indistinct to make out. Even down by the coast, the land was scarred with blight by the undead presence. It had once had a noble, rugged look. It was now raw and burned, just the way the undead liked it. Illidan himself had no taste for sightseeing, but he couldn't help but admire the Lich King's art.  
  
As soon as he was finished observing the base, he sent his presence throughout it. He was pleased to see that the psychic powers granted to him by the Lich King allowed him to command the undead instantly and easily. Immediately all the undead turned to him and either bowed low or remained silent in respect. Illidan grinned. Command, at least, was something familiar to him.  
  
"Return to work! Our plans must not be delayed." He shouted. With a little psychic encouragement, the undead returned to whatever they were doing before with renewed enthusiasm. Illidan now looked around for someone to brief him on the situation. "Who is in charge here?"  
  
At this a Necromancer with a lavishly decorated staff displaying high rank hastily approached him. "I am my lord."  
  
"What steps have you taken against the orcs?" Illidan inquired.  
  
"We have sent out regular scouting parties, master. We now know of the all the orc's border positions and defenses. We have not yet taken any offensive action against the enemy without your bidding."  
  
"Fool." Snarled Illidan, "The orcs have most certainly been scouting us as much as we have been scouting them. Your little search parties may have already alerted them to our presence, perhaps even led them to our base."  
  
At this the necromancer was silent, brooding on his error. Illidan smiled grimly at the undead lieutenant.  
  
"Tell me at least what you have managed to find out, at the expense of the element of surprise."  
  
"The orcs appear to have withdrawn their patrols master. They have instead set up a defensive border around their territory. Lots of towers and walls; there is no way we can approach them without their knowing."  
  
"And you've learned nothing about their actions beyond this border?"  
  
"No master."  
  
Illidan hissed in vexation. "I see why the Lich King is always in need of champions; without them I can hardly see how you idiots would ever win a battle. Please tell me you at least have scouts here."  
  
The necromancer hesitated before answering. "No master, but we could easily produce some."  
  
"Do it. Now." Illidan commanded. "I want them to slip beyond this little border of yours and find out just what the orcs are up to."  
  
The necromancer bowed his head. "It shall be done."  
  
"And fix this up while you're at it. The Lich King believes it might be useful." Illidan kicked the motionless body of Scourge that lay at his feet.  
  
At this command, five necromancers sprang forward as a meat wagon lumbered forwards containing replacement limbs for the abomination. As the necromancers got to work on reviving the rotting warrior, Illidan walked up to higher ground so that he could watch his commands being carried out, as well as to brood on the Lich King's orders.  
  
"An enemy of yours eh? A warrior clothed in green?" He muttered. "There's something you've not told me my king; he's got you scared. But why?"  
  
Left to ponder his question, Illidan stayed there in meditation far into the night. None of his servants dared to disturb him; not even when the newly revived and enraged Scourge awoke and devoured the necromancers that had been tending him.  
  
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Link was having trouble sleeping. He had been restless ever since he had arrived in Ogrimmar; he was still pondering Thrall's warning. Clearly the warchief thought he was in danger, but Link did not find that particularly alarming. He had found that Hyrule seemed to be a much more dangerous place for Link. Still, there was something disturbing about the way the warchief had seen right through him. Of course, his inability to sleep could also be due to the troll in the next room who was currently beating on a loud drum and screaming voodoo chants at the top of his lungs. Sighing, Link got out of bed and decided to take a walk to shake off his weariness.  
  
As he left the plainly decorated guest house, he noted that the Ogrimmar streets were virtually empty at night. Pleased at the silence, Link began to walk towards the market to see what it would be like with no people. It was strangely calm tonight; the customary razor winds that wrecked havoc upon anything not secured to the ground had not come.  
  
Suddenly, as he walked along, Link got a strange feeling that he was being watched. He stopped and looked around. There was nothing. Still feeling uneasy, Link continued walking until his instinct was screaming for him to stop. This time Link examined the street he was walking down carefully. There was plenty of moonlight over Ogrimmar tonight, and nearly everything was illuminated. Still Link did not see anything, but he wasn't satisfied. Link stayed still, carefully looking around him. Suddenly, he saw it; a little dust from the ground a few feet away stirred. It was hardly anything, and would have been easy to attribute to wind had the night not been so calm. Immediately Link understood and whipped out the lens of truth. Peering through the lens at the spot he had seen the dust stir, he was shocked at what he saw.  
  
A horrible skeletal figure, all shadowed and grey, was hovering above the ground, staring right at him. An invisible, gray mist hung about it, and its abdomen trailed off into a wispy tail that seemed to be made of smoke. Hearing Link gasp, the creature must have realized that it had been discovered. It quickly spun around and began to flee faster than Link ever thought something that looked like it was made of smoke could.  
  
Link did not know what the thing was, but he was certain that it was not friendly. Determined not to let the creature get away, he chased after it as fast as he could, holding the lens of truth in front of his eyes all the way. The creature, whatever it was, sped away even faster. A fatal mistake. Link could now tell where the creature was from the dust it stirred as it passed. No longer having to hold the lens of truth, he took out his bow and arrow. Still running, he notched an arrow to the bow, carefully watching the creature's movements. As they turned down a narrow, long alley, Link realized to his dismay that the creature was slowly outrunning him. Knowing that he would have just one shot before the creature could escape, Link stopped and bent the bow backwards. Taking careful aim at the air above the moving dust, Link released the bow with a twang.  
  
The arrow sped through the air, and piercing the unseen target, fell to the ground along with its victim. As Link walked towards the creature for further examination, he heard a great sigh coming from seemingly nowhere and looked on amazed as the invisible corpse evaporated into what seemed to be a smoky skull. It lingered there for a moment, then dissipated into the night air.  
  
Link shivered. The encounter with this unseen foe still had him tense. Blood throbbed in his pointed ears as he determinedly calmed himself down. Whatever the creature was, Thrall would have to know about it. Noticing that the last vestiges of sleep had fallen from his shoulders, Link turned back and headed towards the warchief's den. He just hoped that Thrall wasn't a heavy sleeper.  
  
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"Are you sure you did the right thing by bringing him into this world?"  
  
"I am positive. He will make a difference, of that there is no doubt."  
  
"But what kind of a difference? Your actions may have consequences none of us can foresee. It is dangerous to involve otherworldly elements in our affairs, and you know what he brought with him into this world."  
  
"He himself is a force for good, and I believe will use what came with him against the Lich King. If however, it harms this world, then the burden of guilt is upon my head."  
  
"Very well, though I did voice my concerns."  
  
"Indeed, Malygos. But that is not the real reason you've called this meeting."  
  
"Perceptive as always Ysera. It is the Lich King concerns me."  
  
"Doesn't he concern us all?"  
  
"Yes, but it is his great audacity that I am most concerned with right now. You are aware, of course, what he has done to the Great Dragonblight?"  
  
Ysera was silent. The two aspects had met in the Emerald Dream, the only place they could be sure the agents of the Lich King were not listening in. They were both in human form, Ysera in her customary appearance and Malygos as a blue-cloaked mage. Ysera did, as a matter of fact, know what the Lich King was doing to the Great Dragonblight, though it took her a while to answer. When she did, it was in the form of two words.  
  
"Frost wyrms."  
  
"Yes! Our kindred who have flown to the frozen north, expecting to finally have peace after their long and tiresome lives, are now instead being raised as slaves to serve the Lich King. It is an outrage that we have this go on for so long! We have been idol for too long. The burning legion has come and gone. The scourge has materialized and swept over the world. And all this time we have done nothing."  
  
"I understand your concern Malygos, but is the task left only to us?"  
  
At this Malygos snorted. "Nozdormu is busy 'collecting' time as always. He'll not budge from his task. It took a lot of convincing to even get him to move against Deathwing. And Alexstrasza is taking a well-deserved rest; I would not disturb her. Besides, two dragonflights should be enough to earn our race's peace."  
  
Ysera was silent. Finally she sighed and her eyes slowly opened, revealing two deep wells of wisdom. Light shone through her green eyes, yet they had a depth more impressive and dark than the deepest ocean. The dreamer looked at Malygos for a while before replying.  
  
"Very well Malygos. But let us not forget that Deathwing is out there somewhere. He is waiting for us to be caught unawares, and so that is exactly what we must avoid. Let us have patience and strike at northrend only when it would serve us best."  
  
"My patience wanes Ysera, but I will wait still longer. And let us hope that your bringing that elf and.the thing into this world will not prove to be your greatest folly."  
  
"I shall Malygos. I shall."  
  
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As it turned out, Thrall wasn't a heavy sleeper, though the guard was reluctant to let Link in to see him. In fact, this guard, who was every bit as suspicious as the last, would have tried to arrest Link had the warchief not come out to see what the fuss was about. Link wasted no time in describing what he had encountered in the marketplace. As soon as Link finished his description of how the creature had died, Thrall snarled.  
  
"What a fool I have been! I should have predicted this. For all we know it could be too late now." Thrall turned to Link, who did not quite comprehend the warchief's words. "That was a shade, Link. A spy of the undead. They cannot be seen with unaided eyes, and for all we know there might be hundreds within our borders by now. They've undoubtedly discovered the changes we have made in the past year, and have probably already reported back to their masters by now."  
  
Struck by the implications of this, Link was silent as Thrall called to one of the guards to fetch the witch doctors. It wasn't long until he got a response; five white-bearded trolls strode into the den, most of them carrying long wooden staffs and wearing plain, ragged robes. Link was surprised to see a glint in their eyes that bordered on malicious, and noted that these "witch doctors" were very different than the rest of their race, and judging from the bizarre wards slung over their back, practiced a different brand of voodoo than the rest of their race as well. Thrall wasted no time in giving orders.  
  
"The undead have sent shades to spy on us. We have no way of knowing how much they've discovered already, but we must control the damage quickly. I want your people to set sentry wards all around the border, as well as in the city to root out any shades that still remain."  
  
"Thats be no probleem. Undead comin soon eh?"  
  
"So we beleave Sol'Jin."  
  
The witch doctors looked at each other, grinning nefariously. As they left, Link wondered why the horde aligned themselves with such creatures. Seeming to know what he was thinking, Thrall spoke to Link.  
  
"They may seem vicious, but they are loyal to the horde and have aided us greatly in the past. Their wards especially are uniquely valuable. You should get some sleep; I have a feeling you are going to need it in the coming days. I will be busy tonight it seems, so you may rest here."  
  
Then without further conversation, Thrall picked up his war hammer and strode out the door. Noting that there were no crazed voodoo chanters next door to the warchief's den, Link climbed onto the cot and was soon asleep. 


	5. The Ambush

Author's Note:  
  
Is chapter 5 too late for a disclaimer or what? Anyway, I don't own any of this stuff (wouldn't it be cool if I did?) except a few of the original characters and some concepts. Thank you for your reviews! Now that I've got ten, I thought "hey, they want chapter 5, so I'll give them chapter 5".I just hope I didn't rush it too much. _ More reviews would always be appreciated. Good stuff happens to people who review a lot! This is a long chapter (and one of the more action-packed), so I'm aiming at 15 or so reviews before I write the next one.  
  
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At first Illidan was pleased with the shade's reports. They had discovered many useful things; it seemed that a group of goblins had rejoined the horde, bringing with them a a variety of technological developments. He had learned the details of the orc defenses inside and out, and the shades had then even ventured as far as Ogrimmar itself. There he found that the horde had made great progress, devoting their time to surplus and research rather than purging the beasts of the barrens. Nonetheless, Illidan was sure that careful cunning and sheer force could crush them.  
  
Then the last shades reported and shattered that confidence. They had apparently encountered the green clothed warrior, who was in possession of a device that allowed him to see the invisible spies. They reported that he felled one of their number with an arrow, and as they fled they saw trolls setting up sentry wards all over Durotar. Indeed, many more shades were spotted by the wards and executed by the border guards. Illidan gritted his teeth; he had lost one of his greatest assets against the horde almost as quickly as he had obtained it. Thwarted clearly, by this mysterious warrior who could see the unseen. He decided to turn his wrath towards the necromancer in charge.  
  
"You imbecile! I told you to have the shades find out what the orcs were up to, not to have them march into them middle of Ogrimmar, where virtually every witch doctor and spirit walker have set up shop! Did you really think that they could go unnoticed for long? The orcs at least are not as stupid as you!"  
  
The necromancer cringed, hoping that his death would not be too painful. "I apologize my lord, but the shades acted on their own intuition, I did not expect-"  
  
"You did not expect them to walk right into the heart of the most dangerous place they could possibly go? They had no orders to the contrary! You are a weak leader and a worthless tactician. When I was alive my dumbest pawn was smarter than you! Thanks to your foolishness, I must rethink our entire strategy. Now get out of my sight."  
  
Amazed at his luck, the necromancer bowed low and hastily beat a retreat back to the necropolis. Illidan meanwhile sat atop a boulder and thought.  
  
"What we need are allies, which we do not have." He muttered. "The orcs know too much of us; we can never hope to surprise them. I do not like to go into battle without an advantage. Here in their homeland, their forces are the equal of ours, and they have the benefit of years of preparation. A frost wyrm attack would be pointless now; they have too many measures against that. So what to do?"  
  
Deciding to wander off into the barrens where he could think without idiot commanders disrupting his thoughts, he slowly walked north, leaving the undead base behind. He walked unaware of his surroundings, leaving behind a trail of fiery footsteps. About halfway into the night, he suddenly became aware that he was being watched. Cursing himself for his carelessness, he kept walking as if he had noticed nothing.  
  
Then suddenly, two creatures, Illidan could not tell what, dived at him from above. They screeched as they attacked.  
  
"Easy prey sister! None who are foolish enough to venture into our lands escape alive." One of them cried.  
  
Illidan leaped backwards and leaked mana into the air around him. Feeling the familiar sensation of being engulfed in hellfire, Illidan could now see his assailants. They were harpies! Amazed at the creatures' audacity, Illidan easily evaded their talons. Screeching in rage, one of the harpies blew a powerful gust of wind at him. Illidan surrounded himself with the Lich King's energy, and it formed a frost barrier that the wind beat itself against to no avail. Illidan was surprised but pleased to see that both the demonic and frost magic mingled effectively. Meanwhile, the other harpy had snuck behind him, and now dived towards the undead champion. Spinning around with shocking speed, Illidan grabbed the attacking harpy by the neck. Seeing this, the other harpy quickly turned to flee, but Illidan quickly sent a bolt of fire at her. With a last shriek of pain, the harpy burst into a heap of charred feathers.  
  
Illidan now turned his attention to the harpy he had captured. She was still struggling and trying to slash him with her talons. Staring into the harpy's eyes, Illidan used the Lich King's persuasive powers to pierce her mind. The harpy immediately went limp and Illidan released her. He stood there contemplating; the harpies were unorganized and savage fighters, but they might be exactly what he was looking for.  
  
"Can you hear me?" Illidan asked the charmed harpy.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Where are the rest of your people?"  
  
"They have scattered across this land. I do not know."  
  
Illidan frowned. It might be more trouble than it was worth to organize and control a band of scattered and divided birds. He would determine that later. Instead he asked the harpy a different sort of question.  
  
"What do you think of the orcs?"  
  
At this the harpy scowled. "We hate them. This is our land, and they try to chase us off it. But we are not afraid!"  
  
Illidan smiled at the creature's tenacity. "And what do the orcs think of you?"  
  
"They hate us. We ravage their caravans and their precious pigs. They in turn hunt us, and many of my sisters have fallen."  
  
Illidan pondered this. If only these creatures were organized, then they may prove to be useful indeed.  
  
"Who leads you?"  
  
The harpy frowned, her sharp eyes turning glassy. "Our queen mother, Bloodfeather, was our leader. She was slain by the orcs. Since then we have struck out on our own, but it has never been as good for us since she was killed. No one fought the orcs harder than she."  
  
At this an uncharacteristic wide grin spread across Illidan's face. He looked closely at the harpy.  
  
"And where is this Bloodfeather now? Where dose her body lie?"  
  
"She was slain in the old nest. We have since abandoned it, but she still lies there."  
  
"Show me where this nest is." Illidan ordered, the harpy's weak mind under his complete control.  
  
The harpy nodded and flapped her wings. Soon she was hovering in the air, waiting for Illidan to follow. Illidan grinned; now would be a good time to test another of his abilities. Exerting his powers of transformation, he slowly felt his wings grow larger as his body shrunk. His metamorphing abilities had been improved greatly by undeath. Soon he resembled an overlarge bat with glowing, unblinking eyes. Nodding to the harpy, he flapped his own leathery wings and followed her off into the night.  
  
The trip didn't take long. Surveying the surrounding terrain with a birds eye view, Illidan noted that Ogrimmar was not far away. He also noted, to his irritation, that there were hundreds, no, thousands of tiny green eyes staring up at him.  
  
*Sentry wards* He thought to himself. *But I doubt they can see this high.*  
  
Soon they had arrived at the nest. It appeared to have been formed naturally, but it was the perfect roost for raiders like the harpies. It was a sheer stone enclosure, only accessible by land through a narrow pass. Illidan could see a number of bones littering the floor. As they touched down, the harpy walked over to an incredibly large, rotting harpy.  
  
"Here lies Bloodfeather." She told Illidan.  
  
Illidan wasted no time in performing the grisly ritual. He walked in front of Bloodfeather's remains, and with his finger wrote out several strange runes in the air. He raised his hand, and paused. Then he suddenly grabbed the living harpy's head. The harpy screamed as she glowed green and Illidan drained her life essence. After he had absorbed all of the life, Illidan dropped the harpy's lifeless corpse onto the hard ground. Then he outstretched his arm towards Bloodfeather and poured the life essence of the harpy and malice of the Lich King into the corpse.  
  
The dead harpy queen glowed as life, or rather unlife flowed through her. Slowly, she stirred. Then she shook herself and stood upright. Bloodfeather was no longer rotting and mutilated, for she had been restored by her brethren's sacrifice. She was every bit as awe inspiring and terrible as she was in life, and even more so, for Illidan's voice spoke in her head and the Lich King's power flowed through her wings. The only noticeable difference undeath had seemed to make was that her eyes were no longer sharp and bright but dim and cold, and her once brilliant red plumage was now the color of dried blood. Illidan was quick to wipe any former memories she had from her mind, save for her hatred of the orcs and leadership over the harpies.  
  
"My servant, do you know who you are?" Illidan asked quietly.  
  
"No." The harpy queen answered truthfully.  
  
"You are the enemy of the hated orcs and the queen of the harpies. You were slain by the orcs, but I have revived you. You must have revenge on them."  
  
"Yes, the orcs must pay!" The harpy queen screamed, her eyes flashing.  
  
"Yes, and soon. You are now the servant of the Frozen Throne, and you have allies. Here is what you must do; gather your kindred from all over this land, and raid the orcs without mercy. They will try to hunt you again, but that is when we shall aid you."  
  
"Yes, allies. I serve the throne."  
  
"Now go! And remember when you raid the orcs; they cannot know that I revived you. You must not be seen, only your sisters may."  
  
"Stay out of sight, yes." The newly resurrected harpy queen murmured, then took flight. Illidan watched her figure recede into the red dawn, then opened up a dimensional gateway and walked through it back to the base of the scourge.  
  
The necromancer in chief did not seem particularly glad to see him, but he hid it well. "Lord Illidan! Was your meditation fruitful?"  
  
"Indeed. I have formed a plan that may well make up for all your failures." Illidan laughed, and told him about the harpy queen.  
  
The necromancer scratched his head. "But master, I do not understand why you bothered to recruit these.savages. They are but a minor thorn in the orc's side, and nothing compared to our gargoyles or frost wyrms."  
  
"You do not understand because you are stupid!" Illidan snarled. "The orcs do not see them as a threat, because, as you put it, they are a minor thorn in their side. But when the harpies slowly cut off their supplies and livestock, the orcs will have no choice but to try to eradicate them again. What's more is that the orcs are very queer about their system of honor, and without a doubt they will send a champion or hero of theirs to ambush the harpies. Perhaps even warchief Thrall himself will take on the task. In any case, we will be waiting for them, and when the orcs attack we will ambush the ambushers, slay their hero, and resurrect him to strike a great blow to their morale and their army!"  
  
The necromancer nodded thoughtfully. "We could win the war against them in a single battle. You are truly the champion of the scourge my lord."  
  
"I am quite aware." Illidan said dryly. "I trust nothing of importance has happened while I was gone?"  
  
"No my lord." The necromancer said, relieved that the conversation was at an end.  
  
"Good. Now here is what we are going to do for the ambush, and don't screw this up. We will wait as long as it takes."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Link awoke at dawn. He was always a light sleeper; you had to be if you went the places he did. After a quick stretch and a yawn, Link got up and walked towards the warchief's den. It had been nearly a week since he had first arrived in Ogrimmar, but he now had a reason to stay; he had met with the warchief a few days ago, and explained that he was looking for a lost friend. The warchief still didn't know that Link was from another world, but had made this promise.  
  
"Link, I would like to help you, but as you know the recent harpy raids and the undead have been most pressing. Once they have been dealt with, I will be more than happy to help you find your friend. There are many spiritualists here, and I am sure that one of them at least will be able to help you."  
  
And so Link had taken to meeting with the warchief each morning, to receive the latest news of the undead. Thrall, also an early waker, was always glad to receive him. However the orcs had not taken any actions yet, neither against the undead who surprisingly seemed to have withdrawn somewhat, nor against the harpy raiders, afraid that action against one would leave them unprepared against the other. Once Link arrived at the warchief's den however, he realized that something was about to happen. Usually when he met Thrall, he would be alone or with Nazgrel, his chief of security. Now there were five people in the den, all of them conversing quietly and studying a large map of Durotar. Seeing Link enter, Thrall halted his conversation with Nazgrel.  
  
"Link! It's good to see you; you came right on time."  
  
"We're going to put a stop to these harpy raids once and for all." Nazgrel growled.  
  
"Thaz rite mon. We weel craash them!" A massive troll unlike any Link had encountered before declared.  
  
"The harpies attacks have taken their toll. Supplies are running low in the city, and last night alone two caravans and a farm were hit." Thrall said in his deep, melodious tone of voice. "We can no longer ignore them. I haven't seen the harpies so vicious since Rexxar dealt with their leader."  
  
"So what's the plan?" Link asked.  
  
"We will disguise ourselves as a supply caravan. When the harpies see it, they will attack it. That is when we shall strike! A hundred of the most skilled troll bezerkers will be waiting under the covers. I myself will lead them while the other chieftains of the horde will wait behind to counter any attack by the scourge in my absence. They should be able to hold the undead back until my return."  
  
Link thought about it; it was a sound plan, though a bit obvious. However, from what he had heard about harpies, they were not very smart creatures.  
  
"Kraz'gol praised your marksmanship greatly Link, and I would be honored if you accompanied me on this mission." Thrall said.  
  
Link didn't hesitate to answer. "Okay. When do we leave?"  
  
Thrall grinned. "Now. I suggest you get ready."  
  
Link customarily carried all his equipment with him, and so was as prepared as he needed to be. Following Thrall out of the den, he walked down the main street of Ogrimmar until they came to the fake caravan. Ten large kodo beasts were there, each one harnessed to a wagon. Already the blue-skinned bezerkers were crawling under the sheets that had been laid over the carts. Link admired the simple brilliance of the plan; covered by the sheets that traders used to protect goods from the dust, the trolls looked like nothing more than more paraphernalia off to market. Thrall gestured for Link to follow him to the lead cart, where he climbed up and slipped under the cover. Link followed suit, and soon he could feel the caravan begin to move.  
  
Once they were under way, Link admitted that it could have been a more comfortable trip. For one, the cart bumped and jerked strongly whenever it went over the slightest bump, which was often. For another, it was hard to breath under there, and it was soon so hot and stuffy that Link was nearly gasping for air. Thrall however, seemed to be comfortable enough, and was so silent that in the darkness Link almost couldn't tell he was there.  
  
After nearly an hour of traveling, Link was beginning to wonder if the Harpies had caught on and weren't attacking. The stuffiness was becoming a real annoyance, and judging from the faint grunts he heard from the other carts whenever they hit a bump, the trolls weren't enjoying the experience either. Then suddenly came a high, shrill voice, soon joined by many others.  
  
"Slay the orcs! Chase them from this land!" Came the cries.  
  
Upon hearing this, both Link and Thrall leapt up from the cart. As Link blinked, adjusting to the light, Thrall blasted a bolt of lightning at one of the diving harpies. It shrieked as it fell to the earth, and Link was surprised to see the lightning leap from the stricken harpy to strike another, and then another. Link realized now that Thrall wasn't called warchief because he was a pacifist shaman. The bezerkers meanwhile, apparently eager to escape the stuffy carts, jumped out and began throwing spears at the airborne attackers at an impressive rate. Link notched an arrow to his bow, and was about to strike when he heard a new voice, more of a twisted and horrible scream than a voice actually.  
  
"So the wicked warchief reveals himself! It ends here orcs!"  
  
From over a ridge she came; Bloodfeather the Risen, queen of the harpies. Thrall seemed shocked to see the enormous harpy, whom he had thought dead. Then suddenly putting two and two together, he roared.  
  
"It's a trap! Retreat!"  
  
"Too late warchief! It is too late!" Came another voice, altogether too horrible, deep, and grisly to describe.  
  
From above the ridge, five massive frost wyrms, the scourge's undead dragons, appeared. But they were not the source of the voice; each one carried an abomination in their claws, and the biggest frost wyrm of them all, seemingly having trouble flying due to the weight it carried, held a huge, two-headed abomination in its clutches. Dropping their putrid loads, the frost wyrms began raining down an endless barrage of icy breath.  
  
The bezerkers on the ground tried to fight off the frost wyrms, but soon the five abominations tore into their ranks. Link groaned, realizing that expecting only harpies the warchief had only brought bezerkers with him; no ground units. Leaping into the fray, Link drew his sword and hacked away an abomination's arm just as it was about to slice a troll. Thrall fought ferociously, hacking at the abominations with his warhammer and blasting the frost wyrms overhead with lightning.  
  
Meanwhile Scourge, delighted at the number of foes he faced, charged into the trolls with a vengeance. Belching out a green haze of disease, the abomination hacked at any troll that got his attention while absent- mindedly swinging his hooks that managed to maul many who ventured to close to him. Others fell to the ground coughing, the foul fumes of the abomination getting to them. Scourge had more than ten spears in him, be he hardly noticed. The damage they did to his undead bulk was negligible, and the ecstasy of battle was upon him.  
  
Link was busy tangling with another abomination when a frost wyrm from overhead shot a blast of freezing energy at him. Reacting quickly, Link blocked the blast with his mirror shield. The shield sent the frost back at Scourge, who, finding that his arm was frozen, beat a troll over the head with it to shatter the ice.  
  
One of the bezerkers took aim at Bloodfeather, who up until now had been sending blasts of foul wind at the trolls below. Seeing this, Bloodfeather swiftly dropped to the ground before the bezerker. Surprised, the bezerker stared at her before preparing to hurl his spear again. This was his undoing; Bloodfeather stared back into his eyes and used the psychic charm granted to her by the Lich King to daunt the troll's mind. As soon as the troll was under her control, Bloodfeather quickly took flight again while the troll spun around and impaled one of his brethren through the heart. Grabbing another spear, the troll turned and spotted the warchief, who was busy fighting a frost wyrm and had his back turned to the troll. The troll hurled the spear at the warchief's head.  
  
Link spun around. Realizing what was going on, he notched an arrow to his bow and took quick aim before firing. The arrow flew true, and broke the spear in half. Notching another arrow to his bow, Link fired at the charmed troll who was about to attack the warchief again. Nailing the troll in between the eyes, Link grimly turned again to see the two-headed abomination charging towards him, arms raised and chains swinging.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's End Note:  
  
Like the cliffhanger? Anyway, what did you think? I personally am kinda worried cause I did this when I was exhausted from an exam on Saturday.so anyway, hope you liked it, and remember, reviews = good = more updates. 


	6. Intermission

Shadowed Light: The author is too tired to write chapter 6 right now, so instead I'm supposed to entertain you. Just so you know, I've got permission to use everything I use here. And since it gets really boring around here sometimes, if anyone ever wants an intermission done for their fanfic, they can always go email the author and I'm sure he'll let me visit your story for a while.  
  
And now, without further babbling, let's welcome our first act. For this act I'll be dragging in someone from your world to see how amusing they are. Let's welcome our first guest!  
  
*POOF*  
  
Ghoul King: Must feed!  
  
Shadowed Light: Hmm...not that entertaining. Anyway, while you're here, do you mind if I borrow your interview idea? I've got a lot of questions to ask you.  
  
Ghoul King: I'll eat you!  
  
Shadowed Light: How can you eat me? I'm just shadow and ligh-oh never mind. Get the ghoul's companion, that Corwin guy in here.  
  
*POOF*  
  
Corwin: Hi.  
  
Ghoul King: Must feed!  
  
Corwin: You know that gets annoying.  
  
Ghoul King: Really? Must feed! Must feed! Must feed!  
  
Shadowed Light: Hey hey hey! That's enough. Why don't you two introduce yourselves?  
  
Corwin: I'm Corwin Traylor and that thing over there is the Ghoul King.  
  
Ghoul King: What do you mean that thing over there?  
  
Shadowed Light: Hmmm...let me ask you two, what exactly is your relationship?  
  
Corwin: I'm the sane guy who thought up Ghoul King. Now I'm stuck with him.  
  
Ghoul King: What he said.  
  
Shadowed Light: Okay, here's an off topic question I've been dying to ask you Ghoul King; why are most of your reviews centered around minor inaccuracies instead of anything remotely constructive?  
  
Ghoul King: Because it's annoying.  
  
Shadowed Light: Uh, isn't that a reason to avoid doing something?  
  
Ghoul King: No.  
  
Corwin: I'm telling you, he's insane.  
  
Shadowed Light: Okay...next question! In your profile, you mention that you like donating "plague of undeath" to charities. Why do you target the weak and innocent rather than those who might actually pose a threat to you?  
  
Ghoul King: Because it gives me sick pleasure...and I'm a coward at heart.  
  
Corwin: Ugh. I do not know this guy.  
  
Shadowed Light: I see you two don't get along. Why is that?  
  
Ghoul King: I don't know. Corwin's just really negative all the time.  
  
Corwin: What?!? OMG! Excuse me, I'll be right back.  
  
*Corwin walks off to his room*  
  
Shadowed Light: Okay! Now, since you're just a ghoul, how did you end up being a king? I mean, aren't you a slave to the Lich King?  
  
Ghoul King: Shhhh! Not so loud! Even I can have dreams, right?  
  
Shadowed Light: Riiight...oh look, Corwin's back.  
  
*Corwin rushes at Ghoul King with a baseball bat*  
  
Corwin: Take this you pest!  
  
*Corwin whacks the Ghoul King's head across the room*  
  
Ghoul King's Head: Hey! You can't kill me, I'm undead!  
  
Corwin: Arrgh! Dang, why can't you leave me alone?  
  
Shadowed Light: Dang? Okay this brings me to my next question Corwin. Why do you refuse to use swears in your fanfictions?  
  
Ghoul King's Head: Because he's a wuss!  
  
Corwin: What! Argh, Take this!  
  
*Corwin begins whacking Ghoul King's Head with the baseball bat*  
  
Shadowed Light: Um, have you guys ever thought about seeing a marriage councilor?  
  
*Corwin and Ghoul King freeze and glare daggers at Shadowed Light*  
  
Shadowed Light: Uh oh.  
  
Ghoul King: A WHAT councilor?  
  
Corwin: I'll eat you!  
  
Shadowed Light: Um, is it just me or did Corwin just say he was going to eat me?  
  
Ghoul King: Rargh!  
  
*Ghoul King swipes at Shadowed Light with an undead claw. Shadowed Light ducks as Corwin swigs the baseball bat*  
  
Shadowed Light: Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice! I'm sending you somewhere were you can both learn your lesson!  
  
*POOF*  
  
Ghoul King: Hey! Where are we?  
  
Corwin: Um, it looks like-  
  
Councilor: Welcome to marriage counseling! Oh.I see, an undead and living couple. Well Corwin, let me tell you that necrophilia is nothing to be ashamed of-  
  
Corwin: We're not married!  
  
Councilor: Come now, your relationship can't be that bad. Just remember why you two got together in the first place and I'm sure you'll get along fine.  
  
Ghoul King: Idiotic mortal! I will eat you!  
  
*Ghoul King jumps on marriage councilor and begins (censored for violence)*  
  
Corwin: Wow. That's the first time I've ever seen him actually do it.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Shadowed Light: While Ghoul King and Corwin are busy reconciling, let's go to our next act. Let's see who knows more; a mortal reviewer or a nearly omnipotent demonic entity.  
  
*POOF*  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Hi! Oh this is so cool; I get to be in a fanfic!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: THANK'S FOR HAVING ME.  
  
Shadowed Light: Uh, why do you talk like that?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: I'VE GOT A.D.D.  
  
Shadowed Light: A.D.D.?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: ATTENTION DEFECIT DISORDER  
  
Shadowed Light: Oookay...and that makes you talk like that why?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: I'M DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION  
  
Shadowed Light: Uh huh...well that explains a lot. Now, let's get down to business.  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Oo, this is gonna be fun!  
  
Shadowed Light: Now, here are the rules: I will ask you both a question and the first one who thinks they have the answer pushes that little red button next to you. If you answer correctly, you get a point. If you answer incorrectly, your opponent gets to answer instead. Understand?  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Sure!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: OF COURSE NOT. I'VE GOT A.D.D. REMEMBER?  
  
Shadowed Light: You were smart enough to plan an invasion of Azeroth.  
  
Kil'Jaeden: I DIDN'T PLAN THAT. BLIZZARD JUST SHOVED A SCRIPT INTO MY HANDS AND I READ IT.  
  
Shadowed Light: Well do your best; the readers are getting impatient!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: FINE, BUT IF YOU MAKE ME LOOK BAD I WILL DO SOMETHING TO YOU AS SOON AS THE BLIZZARD SCRIPTWRITERS GET OFF THEIR LAZY BUTTOCKS.  
  
Shadowed Light: Right...okay, here's the first question. True or false; when some weird sorceress decides to turn a gryphon rider into a sheep for some strange reason, the sheep ends up having wings.  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Shadowed Light: Yes, Queen of the Harpies!  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Um, false?  
  
Shadowed Light: Oh so sorry, but that's incorrect.  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Awwww.  
  
Shadowed Light: Kil'Jaeden, would you like to try answering?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: HUH? WHAT?  
  
Shadowed Light: Would you like to answer the first question?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: UM. CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION?  
  
Shadowed Light: True or false, when a gryphon rider is polymorphed into a sheep, the sheep has wings.  
  
Kil'Jaeden: UH...WHAT WAS QUEEN OF THE HARPIES'S ANSWER?  
  
Shadowed Light: Just hurry up answer the question for light's sake, it really isn't that hard.  
  
Kil'Jaeden: NORTH DAKOTA?  
  
Shadowed Light: No not North Dakota you idiot! Damn it, this is a true and false question! How stupid are you?!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: IT'S MY A.D.D. MORTAL! JUST LET ME THINK FOR A MOMENT.  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Isn't he supposed to be a great demonlord? I mean, the demons are all ugly and stuff but shouldn't they be smart at least? I mean I suppose that there have to be some stupid demons but seriously, he's like their leader!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: AH HA! I'VE GOT IT! NOW TREMBLE IN FEAR MORTALS, FOR THE DAY OF RECKONING HAS COME! I, KIL'JAEDEN THE DECEIVER HAVE SEEN THROUGH YOUR RIDDLES AND INTO YOUR VERY MINDS! MY INEVITABLE VICTORY IS NOW ASSURED, FOR THE CORRECT ANSWER IS.FALSE!  
  
Shadowed Light: What the hell was Blizzard thinking when they hired you? Ugh, it's going to be a long night.  
  
-Meanwhile, in the frozen wastelands of the marriage counseling office, Ghoul King and Corwin ponder their existence.and plan their revenge-  
  
Corwin: God, I'm hungry.  
  
Ghoul King: Too bad you're not undead like me; you could just eat dead stuff.  
  
Corwin: That marriage councilor didn't look dead to me when you ate him.  
  
Ghoul King: Oh come on, attack and devour, attack and devour; it's all I was taught.  
  
Corwin: Darn it, it's so cold in here. It almost seems to freeze my soul.  
  
Ghoul King: Really? I guess those marriage councilors leave the AC on way too high.  
  
Corwin: Ugh, you really are mindless.  
  
Ghoul King: And you really are pathetic. If we ever come upon another pack of marriage councilors, you can be sure I'm the one who's gonna be saving your arse while you wet your pants.  
  
Corwin: We'll never find our way back to the Intermission now. That means we won't be able to pay Shadowed Light back until we can get to a computer and review this thing.  
  
Ghoul King: If only there were a way to combine our talents.  
  
Corwin: Combine our talents? What talents? Oh wait a minute, I've got an idea. Give me your head.  
  
Ghoul King: What? Give you my head? Are you insane?  
  
Corwin: Trust me, I saw this work in a cut scene.  
  
Ghoul King: Hmmm...all right, but if you screw me over I'll eat you if I ever get my head back on straight.  
  
Corwin: Head back on straight? Not likely to happen.  
  
Ghoul King: What'd you say?  
  
Corwin: Oh, nothing, nothing. Just hand over the head.  
  
*Ghoul King removes his hollow skull-like head and hands it to Corwin*  
  
Corwin: Okay, here goes nothing.  
  
*Corwin raises the Ghoul King's skull and puts it onto his head. It slides down neatly, like a helmet or mask as Corwin's eyes glow blue*  
  
Corwin and Ghoul King: NOW, WE ARE ONE!  
  
*Corwin the Ghoul King roars in triumph. The terrible cry echoes throughout the marriage counseling office as the two entities fuse together*  
  
Corwin the Ghoul King: Heheheh. This feels wonderful! Now all I need is a frozen throne to sit on.  
  
*Corwin the Ghoul King looks around for a throne in vain*  
  
Corwin the Ghoul King: Hmm. Maybe the couch in front of my TV will suffice. I'll finish getting my revenge on Shadowed Light after the Simpsons are over.  
  
*Corwin the Ghoul King opens up a dimensional doorway and steps through, careful not to slam the door behind him and arouse the wrath of his terrible foe; the one he calls father*  
  
-Meanwhile, back at the Intermission-  
  
Shadowed Light: Okay, the score is still zero zero. Since I'm getting tired here the first to three points wins the game. Now here's the next ques- Kil'Jaeden, what the hell are you doing?  
  
*Kil'Jaeden gobbles down a few hundred more pills from a potions bottle*  
  
Kil'Jaeden: PREPARE TO FEEL MY ETERNAL WRATH YOU PITIFUL MORTALS, FOR I HAVE JUST CONSUMED THE ULTIMATE POWERS OF AN ANCIENT FORCE THAT WILL MAKE ME THE MOST POWERFUL ENTITY EVER, THE FORCE KNOWN ONLY AS...RIDALIN!  
  
Shadowed Light: Ridalin? Oh whatever, just pay attention from now on. Now, as I was saying, here is the next question: Jaina Proudmoor is the daughter of the king of which Alliance nation?  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Kil'Jaeden: KUL'TIRAS YOU FOOLISH MORTAL! YOUR PITIFULLY EASY QUESTIONS ARE NO MATCH AGAINST THE POWERS OF RIDALIN!  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Hey, that's not really fair. You shouldn't be allowed to take Ridalin during a competition. Taking Ridalin is like using whosyourdaddy in the campaign mode. (Sorry, I just like saying Ridalin) but oh well. Still, he can't take Ridalin here.  
  
Kil'Jaeden: THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE WRONG MORTAL! I CAN DO WHAT I WANT, FOR I AM KIL'JAEDEN THE DECEIVER, AND I ANSWER TO NO ONE!  
  
Shadowed Light: Well, it's too late now. Just do your best Queen of the Harpies. The score is zero to one. Here's the next question: Malygos, the leader of the blue dragonflight, is known by what title among the-"  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Shadowed Light: Already?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: HE IS KNOWN AS THE SPELL WEAVER! VICTORY IS AS GOOD AS MINE!  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Hey, people might like you more if you didn't have such a big ego. I would really work on your social skills, if I were you.  
  
Kil'Jaeden: SILENCE!  
  
Shadowed Light: Hmmm, you are getting annoying Kil'Jaeden. I'm giving you a fair warning now. Anyway, on to the next question: What is the name of the demon that Ner'Zhul, the Lich King, made a pact with?  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Kil'Jaeden: LORD ARCHIMONDE!  
  
Shadowed Light: Uh...I don't believe it; of all the questions to get wrong! Kil'Jaeden, I am afraid that is incorrect.  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Yes! And I know the answer *performs small victory dance*; Kil'Jaeden made that pact with Ner'Zhul!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE! DAMN IT, I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE READ THE SCRIPT MORE CLOSELY.  
  
Shadowed Light: Well well, what do you know? The score is now one to two, with Queen of the Harpies staying alive. Here's the next question: the queen that Rexxar killed in one of his earlier missions belonged to what race?"  
  
*BEEP*  
  
Queen of the Harpies: HARPIES!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: WHAT? HOW COULD A MERE MORTAL ANSWER FASTER THAN I? GRRR. HER PASSION FOR HARPIES MAY WELL BE A PROBLEM FOR ME IN THE FUTURE.  
  
Shadowed Light: Yes, that is correct Queen of the Harpies! Kil'Jaeden, since I don't like you and since you cheated by taking ridalin, here is the next question: name a harpy spellcas-"  
  
*BEEP BEEP*  
  
Kil'Jaeden: Windwitch!  
  
Queen of the Harpies (at the exact same time): Storm-hag! Oh yeah, I love the orc campaign. I can play it for hours. Mmm.  
  
Shadowed Light: Hmm, a tie. Well now, I still don't like you Kil'Jaeden, so here is the tiebreaker: what is Queen of the Harpies' email address?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: WHAT? JUST HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT? THIS COMPETITION IS FIXED MORTAL!  
  
Queen of the Harpies: drunken_wreckage@opendiary.com!  
  
Shadowed Light: That is correct Queen of the Harpies! You are the winner!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! I WILL CRUSH YOU INTO A BILLION PIECES MORTAL! YOUR SCREAMS WILL BE HEARD BEYOND THE TWISTING NETHER!  
  
Shadowed Light: I am sorry by mentally challenged friend, but you cannot do anything without permission from Blizzard. You wouldn't want to ruin their nice little storyline, would you?  
  
Kil'Jaeden: ARRRGH! JUST WAIT UNTIL ACT II OF THE ORC CAMPAIGN IS RELEASED! THEN I'LL GET BLIZZARD TO ALLOW ME TO TAKE THE VERY GREAT PLEASURE IN CRUSHING YOU!  
  
Shadowed Light: Well, if events up until now are anything to go by, you've got a very long wait Kil'Jaeden. Until next time, you are the weakest link. Link, please escort our guest out of here.  
  
*POOF*  
  
Link: Hiyah!  
  
Kil'Jaeden: ARRGH! WE'LL MEET AGAIN MORTAL! YOU THINK THAT THIS IS OVER, BUT IT HAS ONLY BEGUN!  
  
Shadowed Light: You know, it would be more impressive if I hadn't heard it like a million times before. Anyway, let's give a round of applause for the winner, Queen of the Harpies!  
  
*APPLAUSE*  
  
Queen of the Harpies: I feel so warm and fuzzy! Oh, do I get a prize?  
  
Shadowed Light: Hmm. I dunno, I didn't really have a prize ready.  
  
Queen of the Harpies: Oh, that's okay. Say, can you include more harpies in the next chapter? Loved the last one! Mmm.harpies. Brings back good memories.  
  
Shadowed Light: Sure, I'll see what I can do. So sorry about the prize though, I'll have to see about that later. Anyway, to the rest of you out there, remember, don't forget to review! I especially like reviews from people who haven't reviewed before. Who knows; if you review, you might be featured in the next intermission! Anyway, until then.  
  
*POOF* 


End file.
